Abd al-Wahid bin Mas'ud bin Mohammed Anun ( ar, عبد الواحد بن مسعود بن محمد عنون) was principal secretary to the Moroccan ruler Mulay Ahmad al-Mansur, and ambassador to the court of Queen

Elizabeth I of England Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". Eli ...

in 1600, whose primary task was to promote the establishment of an Anglo-Moroccan alliance.

Career

The visit of Abd al-Wahid bin Mas'ud followed the sailing of '' The Lion'' in 1551, and the 1585 establishment of the English Barbary Company, which had the objective of developing trade between England and Morocco.Vaughan, p.57Nicoll, p.90
/ref> Diplomatic relations and an alliance were established between Elizabeth and the Barbary states. The last years of the 16th century saw major English successes against Spain, with the English victory against the Spanish Armada in 1588, and the

Capture of Cadiz Capture may refer to: * Asteroid capture, a phenomenon in which an asteroid enters a stable orbit around another body *Capture, a software for lighting design, documentation and visualisation *"Capture" a song by Simon Townshend * Capture (band), ...

by the

Earl of Essex Earl of Essex is a title in the Peerage of England which was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title has been recreated eight times from its original inception, beginning with a new first Earl upon each new cre ...

in 1597. As a result, Sultan

Ahmad al-Mansur Ahmad al-Mansur ( ar, أبو العباس أحمد المنصور, Ahmad Abu al-Abbas al-Mansur, also al-Mansur al-Dahabbi (the Golden), ar, أحمد المنصور الذهبي; and Ahmed al-Mansour; 1549 in Fes – 25 August 1603, Fes) was t ...

decided to send an embassy to propose a joint invasion of Spain.

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university located in Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingha ...

Collections Abd al-Wahid bin Mas'ud was accompanied by al Haji Messa and al Haji Bahanet, as well as an interpreter named Abd el-Dodar, an Andalusian by birth, under cover of a trade mission to Aleppo with a stopover in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

.Nicoll, p.91 Altogether, the embassy numbered 16 (including some prisoners being returned to England), and sailed on board ''The Eagle'' under Robert Kitchen.Nicoll, p.92 Abd al-Wahid bin Mas'ud reached Dover on 8 August 1600. Abd al-Wahid bin Mas'ud spent 6 months at the court of

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

during 1600 with the aim of negotiating an alliance against

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Tate Gallery Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...

exhibition "East-West: Objects between cultures" Abd al-Wahid bin Mas'ud spoke some Spanish, but he communicated to the Queen through his interpreter who spoke in Italian. They met with the Queen on 19 August and again on 10 September. The Moroccan ruler wanted the help of an English fleet to invade Spain. While Elizabeth refused, she welcomed the embassy and accepted the establishment of commercial agreements involving the two countries.Vaughan, p.57 Queen Elizabeth and Sultan Ahmad continued to discuss various plans for combined military operations, with Elizabeth requesting a payment of 100,000 pounds in advance from Sultan Ahmad for the supply of a fleet, with Ahmad asking for an English ship to be sent to get the money. Discussions however remained inconclusive, and both rulers died within two years of the embassy.

In popular culture

It has been suggested that Abd al-Wahid bin Mas'ud inspired the character of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's Moorish hero Othello, but others have argued that there is no connection. In 2016, David Serero played Othello in a Moroccan adaptation inspired by Abd al-Wahid bin Mas'ud. The painting of Abd al-Wahid bin Mas'ud is held by the

Shakespeare Institute The Shakespeare Institute is a centre for postgraduate study dedicated to the study of William Shakespeare and the literature of the English Renaissance. It is part of the University of Birmingham, and is located in Stratford-upon-Avon. The Inst ...

at Stratford-upon-Avon.

Notes

References

* Virginia Mason Vaughan, ''Performing Blackness on English Stages, 1500-1800'' Cambridge University Press, 2005 * Allardyce Nicoll, ''Shakespeare Survey. The Last Plays'' Cambridge University Press, 2002 {{DEFAULTSORT:Messaoud, Abd El-Ouahed Ben 1558 births 16th-century diplomats Morocco–United Kingdom relations Year of death missing 16th-century Moroccan people 17th-century Moroccan people People from Marrakesh Ambassadors of Morocco to England People of the Tudor period

Career

In popular culture

See also

Notes

References